So, yeah, there’s this whole thing going on with the College Football Playoff, and it’s messy. Like, not even Greg Sankey — the SEC boss guy — has it figured out yet. Seriously, sometimes it feels like they’re just making it up as they go.
Anyway, I was listening to Sankey at SEC media days. He was like, “Hey, maybe we’ll stick to 12 teams,” but not in those exact words. It seems like the SEC and some others (like Big 12, ACC) are cool with their version, while the Big Ten is doing its own thing. The Big Ten just loves their automatic bids. I don’t know, maybe it’s their thing.
Tony Petitti, the Big Ten commissioner, had this wild idea. He’s thinking lots of automatic bids — like the SEC and Big Ten get four each. Then, mix in some more for others. But, dang, everyone else is shouting “5+11!” like it’s a new popular band or something — five champs, eleven others. Sounds nifty, right?
But Sankey’s over here saying, “We’ve got a 12-team thing, so why bother changing unless we all agree?” I mean, it feels like they’re walking through a muddy football field and can’t decide on which play to run.
There’s this power thing, too. Apparently, the SEC and Big Ten have some big say starting in 2026. But it’s not like they can just take over. They have to chat with the whole gang, which Sankey pointed out. And he’s been talking a lot. Maybe too much? 🤔
Oh, and about those SEC games. They’re thinking of adding another one — going from eight to nine. Apparently, adding Oklahoma and Texas made things crazier. But there’s this whole money debate and what the playoff selection process means. No one’s keen on swapping their schedule for the SEC’s though.
Sankey’s still all like, “We need to know how the playoff folks judge stuff.” Which makes sense, I guess, if you’re planning world football domination or something — or not. Whatever, we’ll see where all this back-and-forth lands.
(Sidenote: Todd Kirkland snapped a photo here. Props to him.)
